SafetyNet is the name of Google’s tamper protection thingy. Basically, if it’s not a trusted chain, safety net won’t pass.

This doesn’t impact phone functionality, but some apps check for this and refuse to work if it’s not passing. Google Pay is one of the more well-known examples. Some other banking apps will also check for it. Oddly enough, Pokemon Go also used to (not sure if it still does).

Doesn’t that invalidate safety net?

I’m not sure how we “allowed” it to be politicized. The right just picked it up in their tireless crusade against anything different. At that point, the choice is either to ignore it or fight it. However, ignoring it would mean the rights of lots of people would be trampled.

No, but in this case it’s not just population. If some potato farmer in northern Asia sees a UFO (especially before the proliferation of smartphones), how would it be reported and appear on this map? Lots of other reports come from pilots and such and again, far different distribution between continents.

And president terms are 4 years. Doesn’t stop impeachment though.

Oh I know. I was a huge fan of GW1. Wife and I bought GW2 opening day. And while it was an interesting game, it wasn’t for me. I loved the skill system in GW1. I spent too many hours designing skill builds while at work (shhh).

But that was gone for the sequel. I understand why they did it, but I still think it was a travesty to lose something so unique and well thought out.

Sorry, I meant to say hundreds or thousands. I’ve edited it.

You’re preaching to the choir here. I’ve obviously moved. But lots of others haven’t, and I’m not going to fault them for wanting to keep those relationships alive.

I think you’re overly simplifying the issue regardless. Communication platforms are only as good as the people on them. Case in point, a bunch of my friends and I used to use Google Chat until the XMPP kerfuffle. I wanted to move elsewhere, but all my friends didn’t want to use anything else; Google worked great for them. So, sure, I created a jabber account, signal accounts, wire accounts, etc. They’re all a waste because I’ve got nobody to talk to. My mom isn’t going to use jabber. (I now use Matrix to connect to all those accounts like Google Chat, so I get to have my cake and eat it too. But I’m still technically using their platform, and my friends didn’t move, so I don’t count that.)

Same thing here. Sure, I can use Lemmy on the toilet to get my memes or whatever. Engage in other conversations and debates (like this), but that’s just one facet of how I used Reddit. My friends aren’t here. And they aren’t coming anytime soon; they don’t care about what Reddit is doing, they’re not mods, they don’t use 3rd party apps. So yeah, I still use Reddit a couple times a week from my desktop to check in with that community. I feel bad doing it, but I’d feel bad not doing it too. Maybe one could say if they were truly my friends they’d come with me, but there’s far more of them than me.

Some of us have built real communities over there, full of people we know and like. Those places have lasted years, and it’s like Cheers.

I do not fault people for wanting to keep that alive. And no, moving hundreds or thousands of people to a new platform isn’t feasible, especially when some features like private communities don’t yet exist.

Goddamn I miss GW1. It was the opposite model where you bought the game but then could play for free forever.

But anyway, what an amazing game.

If you install a custom build, doesn’t that break OS verification (or whatever the name of it was)? Meaning things like Google wallet, but more importantly some banking apps, will fail to work?

I’m confused. How is this any different getting simply hosting a picture yourself and tracking all the IP addresses via http fetch logs? Why is Lemmy itself being singled out here? Why do you need some CGI script?

I wonder if this week use Bluetooth or a dongle?

because I refuse to consume any of it

I guarantee you already have and didn’t notice.

There’s a philosophical argument to be made for sure, and I’d probably even agree with you. But the reality is that the technology is here, and it’ll be used in pursuit of the almighty buck.